List of contents


Focus

 
HLM2: Second High Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation

 
The Trade Union Development Cooperation Network (TUDCN) was represented by a delegation at the Second High Level Meeting (HLM2) of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC). The trade union delegation participated in a number of plenary and amphitheatre sessions on such themes as taking stock of development effectiveness, Agenda 2030, the role of the private sector in development, south-south cooperation, youth and women and multi-stakeholder partnerships.

To find out more about the TUDCN's participation, including on trade union statement on the outcome document and highlights of the individual sessions click here.

During the HLM2, the TUDCN announced the launch of a new Global Partnership Initiative (GPI) on Social Dialogue in Development. This initiative will bring members of the GPEDC together to explore the contributions of social dialogue to sustainable development with a special focus on the SDGs and on guaranteeing the application of the Global Partnership principles and commitments.

More information on the GPI is available here
Policies and advocacy

TUDCN-ILO Brainstorming on social dialogue for development
 
 
A growing body of evidence indicates that social dialogue contributes significantly to the aims of development work. In light of this, the TUDCN and the ILO jointly organised a seminar to explore this relationship. It brought together institutional actors interested in this means of implementation on the 17th and 18th of November 2016 in Brussels, Belgium.

Find out more
TUDCN 2016 Open Coordination Meeting


The network’s annual Open Coordination Meeting took place on the 15 & 16 of November 2016 at the ITUC headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Among the issues covered, the over 30 participants discussed the trade union strategy on Agenda 2030, the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC), EU development policy and upcoming research streams.
 
Meeting of the TUCA Development Cooperation Network


The regional meeting of the TUCA Development Cooperation Network was held in São Paulo and was attended by 20 trade union representatives, members of the Network, on 26 and 27 October 2016. One of the major topics reviewed was the trade union approach to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The meeting also covered other issues related to development in the region such as South-South and triangular cooperation, the privatisation of cooperation, tax justice and the impact of free trade agreements.

Find out more

The full meeting reports of the Asia-Pacific and African regional meetings are now also available.
New EU development framework: decent work recognised as a cornerstone of sustainable development


Trade unions welcome that decent work is recognised as a way to achieve sustainable development throughout the EC proposal for a new European Consensus on Development, published on 22 November 2016. Nonetheless, trade unions demand the mainstreaming of social dialogue in EU development policy, to make business accountable and ensure it contributes to development results.
 
Fourth Meeting on the fine-tuning of the SDG Indicators


The indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals are a fundamental component of the Agenda 2030. The task of putting together the list of indicators has been assigned to the Inter Agency Expert Group (IAEG-SDG). It held its fourth meeting at the United Nations Grounds in Geneva on 17-18 November 2016. The TUDCN was present.
 
TUDCN partnerships working group meeting


Members of the TUDCN working group on trade union partnerships met in Brussels on 14 November 2016. The aim of this meeting was to follow up on progress made since the last meeting and plan the work for the next year within this work-stream. The Trade Union Organisational Capacity (TUOC) tool was presented and discussed and a “light” version of the Trade Union Development Effectiveness Profile (TUDEP) was introduced.

Read the full report
The European Parliament recognises the role of trade unions in development effectiveness


A European Parliament resolution feeding into the EU position towards the GPEDC HLM2, stresses the need to better involve trade unions to give a boost to aid effectiveness. The EP resolution also includes trade unions’ priorities regarding the participation of the private sector in development cooperation. It also notes that development aid cannot effectively fulfill its purpose in the absence of labour standards.
 

News from the TUDCN network

UOCRA Foundation, institutional linkage and international cooperation


By Marita González, CGT - Argentina @Maritagonzal1

Within the framework of an active policy of institutional linkage and international technical cooperation, with a view to generating and sharing critical knowledge influencing the design of public and sectoral policies that benefit workers as a whole, the UOCRA is promoting a series of initiatives with a range of trade unions and academic institutions, both at national and international level.

Find out more
Decent work, industrialisation and job creation at COSATU’s international school
 
By Maresa Le Roux, ACLVB/CGSLB - Belgium

“Building a progressive workers movement for development Alternatives in Africa: Decent work, industrialisation and Job creation NOW!” was the theme of international school hosted by The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

Find out more
Solidarity across borders: trade unions from Nepal visit Belgium


By Bruno Deceukelier, WSM - Belgium - @brunodeceuk

The leadership of the three main Nepali trade unions came to Belgium at the end of October 2016 to look into adapting trade union models to a federal state, social elections and social security. The visit was supported by World Solidarity (WSM) and the Belgian trade union ACV-CSC.

Read the article
CISO Québec contributes to consultation with foreign affairs Ministry



The International Centre for Worker Solidarity (CISO), an organisation that brings together trade unions in Quebec around issues of international solidarity, took part in a consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Francophonie of Quebec. The contribution, entitled Towards a New Foreign Policy for Quebec, suggests ways of increasing the coherence of state's foreign policy and demands further commitment to the Development Effectiveness Principles.

Consult the full contribution (in French)
UN Special Rapporteur: put people before profit



Maina Kiai, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of assembly and of association launched a report on workplace rights at a side event at UN headquarters, where he warned of “an assault on labor” that has been going on for years. The side event was co-sponsored by the Solidarity Center and the ITUC and featured a number of interventions which highlighted specific cases of workers' rights abuses.

Read the article
TUC Aid (UK) supports women trade unionists in Nicaragua



TUC Aid continues to support the CTCP union, which organises self-employed workers in Nicaragua, in their work to recruit more women to the union and to encourage woman members to take up leadership positions. The project focuses on strengthening union structures, including national and regional women’s committees, providing training for women members on trade union issues and leadership, and also skills training for women CTCP members to help them become more efficient, and in doing so free up more time for community and union activities.

Find out more
CSN (Canada) is working with trade unions in Honduras and Nicaragua to defend human rights



Central America's Northern Triangle is among the most dangerous places for human rights defenders. The mining sector is shrouded in violence and illegality. Trade unions have been creating alliance with broader civil society to defend the rights of vulnerable communities.

Read the full article (in French)

News from the development community



Non-Aligned Movement Summit re-asserts its relevance in a turbulent world



The 17th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Venezuela in mid-September 2016 was an occasion to reflect on the movement’s history and to reaffirm its relevance in a world of great political and economic turbulence.   It adopted two documents which are remarkable for their comprehensiveness, showing the consensus of 120 countries for positions in a wide range of issues.

Find out more
Free online course on Decent Work in Global Supply Chains begins in January



What are the challenges and opportunities for achieving decent work in global supply chains? How do transnational corporations and their global supply chains operate? How can they be more effectively governed? This course offers a careful mix of video lectures and interviews, readings, online resources, and exercises to gain both knowledge and practical skills for promoting decent work in global supply chains. In some countries, the online learning experience will be complemented with local workshops for a truly global learning experience.

Find out more
New appointments at the OECD



Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Director General of the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida), was appointed as the new Chair of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee. Jorge Moreira da Silva was appointed Director of the Development Co-operation Directorate (DCD) effective from 1st November 2016.
Newsletter of the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (September-November 2016)


Consult the newsletter
Sign up for the TUDCN Daily News Report!

The TUDCN secretariat puts together daily e-mail alerts with 3 or 4 highlights of development news of particular relevance to Trade Unions. If you are interested in receiving them, sign up by sending an e-mail to [email protected] with "Daily News Report SIGN UP" in the subject line.

Upcoming events


TUDCN Working Group on EU Development Policies and Advocacy (Brussels)
16-17 February 2017 (tbc)

Policy Forum on Development (Brussels)
22-23 March 2017

TUDCN General Meeting (Africa)
May 2017 (tbc)

Financing for Development Forum follow-up  (New York)
22-25 May 2017

2030 Agenda High Level Political Forum (New York)
10-19 July 2017


See the TUDCN calendar

Useful links


Trade Union Development Cooperation Network
International Trade Union Confederation
Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD
International Labour Organisation
ILO's Bureau of Workers' Activities (ACTRAV)
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Social Watch
Deliver2030.org
Directorate General for Development and Cooperation, European Commission
European Parliament Committee on Development
Business and Human Rights
You can contribute to this newsletter!
Please send us your stories - [email protected]
Tweet
Share
Share
Forward
+1
Trade Union Development Cooperation Network - TUDCN
c/o International Trade Union Confederation
Boulevard du Roi Albert II, 5, Bte 1 - 1210 Brussels - Belgium
http://www.ituc-csi.org/development-cooperation
[email protected]
    
This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the ITUC and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.